Valuing a property: methods and median prices (Statbel)

The starting point: the Statbel median

Statbel publishes property prices by commune, by province and by Region, based on registered sales. It gives the median: half of the sales were below it, the other half above. It also gives the 1st and 3rd quartiles, that is, the band in which half of the sales fall. Statbel does not publish a median when the commune has fewer than 16 sales in the category.

Here are some 2025 figures, taken from the Statbel files:

The width of the range matters as much as the median. In Liège, half of the houses sold in 2025 are between €155,000 and €270,000. A price of €206,500 therefore says nothing about a specific house: everything depends on its condition, the street, the size.

At national level, Statbel’s table on flats shows a median of €257,500 in the 2nd quarter of 2026, against €239,000 in the 2nd quarter of 2023 (last change to the table: 22 September 2026).

Find the figures for your commune on Payotte’s Belgium page, then on the commune’s page, for example Ixelles or Liège. They show the Statbel medians, the ten-year trend and the latest quarters.

How to read a median without getting it wrong

• A median is not an average. A few prestige sales barely move it.
• A small number of sales makes the figure fragile. A commune with 116 house sales (Ixelles) is less stable than one with 1,443 (Liège).
• A commune average hides neighbourhoods. A quiet street and a busy street, in the same commune, do not sell at the same price.
• A median price is a past price. It describes sales already completed, not what a buyer will pay tomorrow for your property.
• A house and a flat cannot be compared. Statbel separates them: do the same.

The role of the estate agent

An estate agent (agent immobilier) approved by the IPI (Professional Institute of Estate Agents) has, among its tasks, to “carry out valuations” and, for the broker, to “determine the sale, purchase or rental value” (IPI). The title is protected: without IPI approval, nobody can present themselves as an estate agent. You can check the approval with our guide checking an IPI estate agent.

The IPI code of ethics requires valuations to be made “sincerely”, without prejudice to possible refinements. It also requires the agent to express reservations to the client when the asking price is clearly disproportionate, upwards or downwards, to the value of the property. A valuation is therefore only as good as its method: ask the agent which sales it is based on.

The role of the notary

For the notary, the value matters mainly because it is the basis for registration duties (droits d’enregistrement / registratiebelasting). According to notaire.be, the taxable base “may not be lower than the sale value of the property”. The tax authority sets the market value based on comparable properties nearby. If it considers that the declared price is too low, it sends a “notice of undervaluation”. The buyer may then owe additional duty.

If the difference remains in dispute, the authority may request “a control valuation by one or two independent experts”. If this valuation exceeds the initial taxable base by 1/8 or more, the buyer also pays a fine and the valuation costs. Otherwise, the valuation costs remain with the authority. For the duties themselves, see the guide registration duties and the notary’s role in the notary: fees and role.

The role of the expert

The case in which the expert’s role is most clearly regulated is the authority’s control, described above. The experts are then appointed by mutual agreement between the authority and the buyer or, failing that, by the Justice of the Peace. Their report binds both parties, except in the case of a breach of the law, a material error or failure to meet formal requirements. In other situations, ask the notary handling your file which type of valuation is appropriate.

A simple method to get an idea

1. Take the commune median for the same type of property (house or flat) on the commune’s Payotte page.
2. Look at the range between the quartiles: is your property rather in the lower quarter, in the middle or in the upper quarter?
3. Ask one or two agents for recent comparable sales (same street or same neighbourhood, same floor area, same condition).
4. Deduct the cost of works if the property needs renovating. See the guide buying a house to renovate.
5. Add the purchase costs: calculate your purchase costs and check your borrowing capacity.

Which professional to consult

An approved estate agent gives you a valuation based on comparable sales in the neighbourhood. A notary informs you about the basis for registration duties and the risks of an undervaluation. An independent expert steps in when the tax authority disputes the declared value. For land or boundaries in question, see also the guide the land surveyor.